CHAPTER XIX THE COMING OF JAMES; ROYAL FAVOR THE rapidly failing health of the aged Queen caused most of the Court festivities to be omitted during the Christmas season of 1602-03. Elizabeth, indeed, had withdrawn from London to her palace at Richmond in search of quiet; yet on February 2, 1603, she summoned thither her favorite troupe, the Chamberlain's Men, to entertain her with a play. This proved to be the last time. she was to call upon them. On March 19 the Privy Council, in view of her sinking condition, ordered the discontinuance of dramatic performances in the city; and on the morning of March 24, she quietly passed away at Richmond. Many poets wrote tributes suitable to the memory of so great a Queen; but Shakespeare, in spite of the obvious favor she had always shown him and his troupe, maintained a complete silence. The fact did not escape comment. Henry Chettle, whom we met at the outset of the poet's career in London, now again crossing his path, expressed regret that the dramatist had forborne toDrop from his honied Muse one sable tear To mourne her death that graced his desert, And to his laies opened her royal ear; and with an obvious allusion to Lucrece he added the injunction: Shepherd, remember our Elizabeth, And sing her rape done by that Tarquin, Death. A second writer, who remains anonymous, likewise reproved Shakespeare for his silence: You Poets all, brave Shakespeare, Jonson, Greene,1 A third writer, "I. C., gent.," refers to the author of the poem just quoted: As he that calde to Shakespeare, Jonson, Greene, To write of their dead noble Queene.2 Shakespeare, however, refused to invoke his Muse, and allowed the death of the Queen who had so "gracèd his deserts" to pass, not only without the sable tear of a formal elegy, but without a single reference to her of any kind. Perhaps, as has been suggested, he felt estranged from her as a result of her heartless treatment of Essex, and her long imprisonment of Southampton. If such were the case, his sincerity would keep him from any expression of pretended grief. And in justice to him it should be added that if he failed to lament the death of Elizabeth, he had the good taste to refrain from celebrating, as did so many ambitious poets, the accession of James. The advent of James, however, was an event of the greatest moment to him and his fellows. The new sovereign arrived in London on May 7; ten days later he issued an order taking the Chamberlain's Men under his own patronage, and bestowing upon them the new title, "The King's Men." On May 19 he furnished them with a 1 Since Robert Greene died in 1592, the writer must be referring to Thomas Greene, the leading comedian of the Earl of Worcester's Men, and a poet. He was, for example, the author of A Poet's Vision and a Prince's Glorie, 1603, a congratulatory poem to King James. The writer of this poem refers, not to Chettle, as Sir Sidney Lee thinks (Life, p. 374), but to the anonymous writer whose lines I have quoted. The anonymous writer was clearly referring to Thomas Greene, as I have indicated; but "I. C., gent.," not understanding this, supposed that he was referring to Robert Greene, long dead. Hence his jeer at the anonymous writer for craving "helpe of Spirits in their sleeping graves." 'There is no good reason for supposing that in Sonnet 107 he refers to her death. But even if he does, the reference is colorless. See above, p. 164. formal Patent licensing them to act henceforth under his royal protection, "as well within their now usual house called the Globe, within our County of Surrey, as also within any town-halls, moot-halls, or other convenient places within the liberties and freedom of any other city, university town, or borough whatsoever within our said realms and dominions," and significantly declaring to all officers and others concerned: "What further favor you shall shew to these, our servants, for our sake, we shall take kindly at your hands." The Patent singled out nine players for special mention, and merely referred to the others as "the rest of their associates." The nine persons mentioned are noted in the following order: Lawrence Fletcher Robert Armin Richard Cowley Fletcher's name was placed first, not because he was the most distinguished actor, or occupied the highest position in the Globe company, but, it would seem, because he happened to be a favorite with King James, before whom he had often acted in Scotland, and under whose patronage he had recently served as leader of "His Majesty's Players";1 James doubtless brought him to London, and added him to the new royal troupe. Thus the position of Shakespeare second in the list, above Burbage, Heminges, and the rest of the company, evinces his recognized importance in the Globe organization. By way of emolument, to each player there was granted an annual 1 See J. T. Murray, English Dramatic Companies, i, 104, note 3; and Dibdin, Annals of the Edinburgh Stage, p. 21. |